Author Topic: Internet of Toasters  (Read 4267 times)

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Offline Maik

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Internet of Toasters
« on: Saturday, 22 October, 2016 @ 13:12:18 »
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'Smart' home devices used as weapons in website attack

Hackers used internet-connected home devices, such as CCTV cameras and printers, to attack popular websites on Friday, security analysts say.

Twitter, Spotify, and Reddit were among the sites taken offline on Friday.

Security analysts now believe the attack used the "internet of things" - web-connected home devices - to launch the assault.

Vulnerable to toasters

The use of internet-connected home devices to send the attacking messages is also a relatively new phenomenon, but may become more common.

On social media, many researchers and analysts expressed frustration with the security gap being exploited by attackers.

"Today we answered the question 'what would happen if we connected a vast number of cheap, crummy embedded devices to broadband networks?'" wrote Matthew Green, an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute.

Jeff Jarmoc, head of security for global business service Salesforce, pointed out that internet infrastructure is supposed to be more robust.

"In a relatively short time we've taken a system built to resist destruction by nuclear weapons and made it vulnerable to toasters."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37738823

Offline Maik

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Re: Internet of Toasters
« Reply #1 on: Friday, 04 November, 2016 @ 17:10:26 »
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Wireless lightbulb hack could plunge households into darkness

Households using internet-connected lightbulbs could be left in the dark by cyber attacks after researchers showed how the bulbs could be hacked and remotely switched on and off.

The hackers showed how they were able to control the lighting Philips Hue lightbulbs in an office building by flying a drone up to it and infecting them with a “worm” virus that spread to multiple bulbs.

The researchers said such an attack could be used to bring an entire section of “smart” street lights offline, turning public roads dark, or be used to attack a city’s electricity grid.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2016/11/04/wireless-lightbulb-hack-could-plunge-households-into-darkness/